Week 2 Wiki Update

“Research shows that when students are allowed to set some of their own learning goals, their motivation is higher than when they pursue only teacher-set goals" (Pitler, H., Hubbell, E. Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). This quote stood out to me because it makes perfectly good sense. Students (people in general) are always more motivated to do the things that they have chosen to do, whether it be sports or some other activity. When someone tells you what to do and it's not something that you want to do then you hesitate or are reluctant to do it. That then can be applied to the educational setting. Students can be allowed to set some goals for themselves and they are more than likely to stick to those goals to achieve success. Technology can be used to assist teachers and students set goals. "Technology enhances the goal setting process by providing organizational and communication tools that make it easier to clarify the learning objectives" (Pitler, et al., 2007, p 18).


As I read on in the book, I learned of free web-based resources that could prove to be useful for myself (the teacher) and my students when setting goals and while using technology effectively. Some of these resources were rubric makers. Something else that I found interesting was the twist to the old KWL chart. The one in Pitler, H., Hubbell, E. Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. ‘s book was a KWHL which they add the “H” for how do you want to learn.

Lastly, I learned about the Universal Design Movement (UDL) from Cast’s Innovation. UDL helps educators differentiate instruction by giving learners different methods to learn material, different methods of demonstrating that knowledge, and different methods of engaging learners. UDL makes perfectly good sense to me, but this is a process that can take time to incorporate in every lesson.


Pitler, H., Hubbell, E. Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Chapters 1, 15-38.

Class videos.